#0
Dear Orthodox Christian readers, The following article is a brief paper by an Orthodox Christian deacon on the Filioque matter from an Orthodox perspective. I found the article on GOOGLE. Please go onto GOOGLE sometime and find the article
and read it, and give your comments on it, and any questions you have on the subject. Please consult an Orthodox book and your Orthodox priest and bishop for further clarification. I think I will need to ask our local priests and bishop where we should read on the Filioque matter, why the Orthodox do not believe it, beyond the mere \"it\'s not in John 15:26\" answer. That is the basic layman answer, but surely there are abiding reasons which go beyond this sort of \"sola scriptura\" emphasis.
Christ did not say \"Filioque\", but what does that mean that He didn\'t say it? What is wrong with saying \"Filioque\"?
The following article does not answer this issue fully, if it can even be answered fully in this life; we are mortal and finite beings,
and God\'s nature is (and will remain) incomprehensible.
We do not even know what it means to say that God\'s nature is incomprehensible.
See:
\"THE FILIOQUE CONTROVERSY: ST. PHOTIOS \' TREATISE AND THE WESTERN RESPONSE\"
READER ALEXANDER VALLENS
COSMOLOGY
MARCH 25, 2003
I WROTE TO ASK REVEREND VALLENS FOR
A PRINTED COPY OF THIS ARTICLE
AND HE GRACIOUSLY AND KINDLY OBLIGED
AND SENT ME A PRINTED COPY.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A PRINTER
WHERE YOU CAN PRINT OUT FROM THE INTERNET THIS ARTICLE
REVEREND DEACON CAN BE REACHED AT
REV. DN. ALEXANDER VALLENS
13900 LAKE SONG LN. Q6
BROOMFIELD, CO 80023
GOD BLESS ALL OF US.
AMEN.
Scott Harrington
ERIE PA
JANUARY 2008 AD
SOME 7500 and more years from Adam
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#2
It does not need to be understood, but it is not against faith to seek teaching, truth, facts, and information on why the teaching is right. It is enough to know that John 15:26 says it is so, and it is Jesus Christ Himself that is speaking to all of us in John 15:26. However, certain logical consequences follow from accepting John 15:26 on faith, as a simple believer, even as there are consequences for accepting and believing the illogic of Filioque. Since John 15:26 \"the Father alone\" is truth, logic and reason and understanding are on the side of Christ\'s words; it must be so, since Christ is \"the Truth\" Himself; and what He speaks makes sense, (even if and though we can not ever understand it all). We are not called to know (understand) everything about this, but to believe everything about this. Thus, \"Study to show thyself as one approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly discerning the word of truth.\" We need to \"rightly discern\" (discover) the word of truth on why in becoming Orthodox we believe as we do that \"the Spirit proceedeth eternally from the Father\". Period. In time, the Son does, by economy, send the Spirit from the Father, but this is not a procession from the Son.
Take care.
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#1
It\'s true I\'m not only simple. But it\'s not
that simple. I have a simple side. The reaal
thing is, I find mysself feeling a need to do
more things, since laxiness is my number
one fault and enemy. When I pray, I
become a simpler person, and I get
humbled by the fact that before an all-Holy
God I realize I don\'t know how to pray as I
should. As long as I come with an open
heart, I have hope in God, and hope yet to
find true mercy from God. I don\'t need
mere intellect, though I value wisdom and
book learning. Book learning is not enough,
but I\'ve done much worse things than read
books or read \"too much.\" I guess I need to
be more discerning and read less and less
and read higher quality literature, whether
piety-filled Christian, of doctrinally-correct
content, or more philosophical scientific
stuff. I like learning psychology, and I share
this interest in psychology with the
scholars (the hierarch, Archbishop) of the
CTOS in Etna CA. These people are so
much more scholarly than I am; if you read
Orthodox Tradition journal published by St.
Gregory Palamas Monastery in Etna, CA,
these Orthodox people really follow the
Orthodox traditions with zeal, and are very
intellectual in their approach to expressing
the doctrines of Orthodoxy.
But they are not rationalistic, merely
intelligent; they still eschew such
pretentious philosophies as the Thomism
of Thomas Aquinas in Roman Catholicism,
Take care.
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#3
I sympathize fully with what you say. I don\'t feel a need to withdraw from society and forsake friends and family life, or make promises I can\'t keep. I am still pursuing a better life; I just happen to have more time to pursue intellectual things. I\'m looking for a relationship with a lady, just have not yet been blessed with success in that aspect of life.
I think most of us just want to love and be loved. Love doesn\'t come easy.
Anything that happens in life doesn\'t just happen; we must make effort to make it happen, relying on God\'s mercy for the outcome of all our efforts. Where we fall short, it is usually our own shortcoming; and it is not ever God\'s responsibility if something good doesn\'t happen.
I believe as you believe, though. Not everything comes from logical, intellectual thought.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to relax in Tahiti; it\'s just that most of us won\'t have time or money to pursue a good time that way. Personally, if I fail to fall asleep,
I have a better and happier day each new day.
My idea of a happy vacation would be anywhere anytime anyplace where I do not fall asleep and get enough food to eat, and the food is good, and the people I\'m around are fun to be with and don\'t annoy me. And where I think before I say something I regret later.
Take care.
God have mercy on us, come what may; may we find our way through life to make things happen as far as our efforts can get us more happiness and success in life.
Scott in Pennsylvania
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